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Degrassi Junior High
Degrassi Junior High is a Canadian television teen drama series that was produced from 1987-1989 as part of the Degrassi series. The show followed the lives of a group of students attending the titular fictional school. Many episodes tackled difficult issues such as drug use, child abuse, pedophilia, teenage pregnancy, homosexuality and divorce, and the series was acclaimed for its sensitive and realistic portrayal of the challenges of teenage life. The cast comprised mainly non-professional actors, which added to the show's sense of realism. Degrassi Junior High spanned 42 episodes, covering grades 7 through 9. The first half of the first season premiered January 18, 1987 with 13 episodes. It premiered Sunday afternoons, and was brought up to prime time in the first season's second half. Some of the characters were in grades 7-8, and in the second part of the first season the characters remained in the same grades, as the half-season was not their next academic school year, but instead, their second semester (the first season happened in the 1987-1988 school year). The characters were in grades 8 and 9 in the second season of the series. The ninth-graders stayed in junior high, but attended science class at Borden High School. It followed the series The Kids of Degrassi Street, and directly preceded the series Degrassi High. The program also aired on PBS in the United States, the BBC in the UK and western Europe, and the ABC in Australia. A DVD containing all the show's episodes was released in October 2005. Also, as of October 2005, American cable network The N (Which airs Degrassi: The Next Generation) has aired Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High as its "Degrassi Old School" block. School Degrassi Junior high was filmed in Vincent Massey Public School.http://www.degrassi.ca/tour/ Episode List Season 1 |01 Kiss Me Steph: When Stephanie begins the new term by running for school president, her best friend Voula offers to be campaign manager. But Voula is aghast when Stephanie begins campaigning on kisses and wild promises. Meanwhile, Stephanie's kid brother, Arthur, joins forces with Yick to avoid Joey's bullying. |02''The Big Dance: Voula is sure she is old enough to go to the dance, but her old world father has other ideas. Angry, she lies to her father and slips out to the dance anyway--how will her father ever find out? But her plan goes awry when she is asked to make the speech that Stephanie, the school president, is too drunk to make. |03 'The Experiment: Yick is convinced Mr. Raditch is picking on him. With Arthur's help, he sets up an experiment, handing in as his own an old paper of Stephanie's. But the results aren't quite what they expected. When Kathleen and Melanie believe the vitamin pills Joey has sold them are really drugs, Joey finds himself in hot water. |04 ''The Cover Up'': Joey is fascinated by Rick, the school tough guy, but when he goes to Rick's place after school, he finds out that his bruises aren't from street fights, but inflicted by Rick's own father. Rick will kill Joey if he says anything, but Joey can't stand by and let it happen. Caitlin and Susie are intrigued, too. There must be some way to make Rick smile. |05 ''The Great Race'': The girls' swim team has been challenged to a battle of the sexes swimming race by the boys' soccer team. But when Melanie, the star swimmer, gets her first bra and the boys all tease her, she refuses ever to be seen in a bathing suit again. Yick and Arthur have their own physique problems--it seems like everyone's had a growth spurt but them. |06 ''Rumour Has It'': Rumours are flying that Ms. Avery is gay, and when Caitlin has disturbing dreams about her favorite teacher, she begins to wonder about her own sexuality. Rick has a reputation as a tough guy, and when he goes on a spending spree after $20 disappears from Yick's locker, Arthur, the detective, swings into action. |07 ''The Best Laid Plans'': Stephanie asks Wheels out on a date, but bravado and overherad conversation lead both of them to imply to their friends that they'll do something--though neither is at all sure that they're ready for it. Yick has pinched a video from his brother--"Swamp Sex Robots" is so hot it'll fry your eyeballs! |08 ''Nothing To Fear'': When L.D.'s dad goes into the hospital, L.D. is terrified. Years ago, her mother went into the hospital and never came out, and L.D. is so paralyzed with fear that she lets down her family and friends. When Amadeus, the school's snake, gets loose, Melanie nearly falls apart. She just knows she'll be the one to find it unexpectedly. |09 ''What a Night!: Lucy's clothes are always so sophisticated--Voula wishes she could dress like her. Voula goes "shopping" with Lucy, but when she finds out Lucy doesn't pay for her purchases, it's too late--the police have already been called. When Stephanie gets to meet her soap-opera star idol, and he gives her his phone number, she can hardly believe her luck. |10 '''''Smoke Screen: When school tough guy Rick suddenly takes an interest in the Environmental Action Committee, Caitlin decides he can be redeemed if people will give him a chance. Rick's not so sure he wants to be someone's project. Arthur doesn't know what to do when, unknown to Yick, he accidentally breaks what he believes is a family heirloom. |11 It's Late: When Spike's period is late, she can hardly believe it--she never meant to go as far as she did with Shane. She is torn apart, not knowing what to tell Shane, or worse, her mother. Yick has a crush on Melanie, and seeks Arthur's romantic advice, since he's never asked a girl out on a date before. |12 Parents Night: When Wheels's birth father shows up out of the blue, Wheels has to deal with his feelings about his adoptive parents, his birth parents and who he really is. Spike inadvertently comes to his rescue when she asks Wheels for advice on whether to put her baby up for adoption. |13 Revolution!: To make Wheels jealous, Stephanie, the school president, puts Joey into the vacant post of sports rep. But the position is traditionally held by a Grade Seven student and the entire grade seven class starts a move to impeach her. Arthur is torn--does he side with his class, or with his sister? Season 2 |14 Eggbert: Spike is given an egg to care for to simulate taking care of a baby, and when Shane says he wants to help, "Eggbert" becomes his responsibility--a responsibility he's not sure he can handle. Stephanie decides to change her image and gives all her sexy clothes to Alexa. But when the new boy, Simon, pays more attention to Alexa, Stephanie has a change of heart. |15 A Helping Hand: Lucy is delighted. She's finally found a teacher who appreciates her, even if Mr. Colby is only a substitute teacher. L.D. is just being silly when she claims she notices Mr. Colby appreciating Lucy a little too much--isn't she? When Wheels has to take extra tutoring after school and can't practice with the Zit Remedy, it looks like the end of the band. |16 Great Expectations: Joey knows he's finally going to "do it." Liz, the new girl from out of town, looks like the type, and it's pretty obvious she likes him. When she invites him home after school to work on their project together, he just knows this will be the big moment. Yick urges a worried Arthur to phone "Talking Sex with Dr. Sally" to find out the truth about the strange dreams he's been having lately--you know, when you sort of ... leak. |17 Dinner and a Show: Shane is trying to do the right thing by Spike and the baby--he hasn't run off, he acknowledges his responsibility. But all his parents seem to want to do is hide it away. They even want to send him off to private school. Melanie has a date with Yick to see "Crying in the Wind," but when Snake, whom she's had a crush on for ages, invites her to see "Revenge of the Reptiles" on the same night, she can't pass up the opportunity. |18 Stage Fright: Caitlin is determined that being diagnosed with epilepsy isn't going to make any difference in her life--after all, it was only one little seizure. She resolves to get the lead in the school play, especially since the competition is her long-time enemy, Kathleen. Michelle is paralyzed at the thought of having to make a speech in class--she can't even order a hamburger without turning red! |19 Fight!: Joey mouths off once too often to Dwayne, a formidable bully twice his size, and is challenged to a fight. Joey tries every trick in his not inconsiderate repertoire, but it looks like there's no way to get out of a sound thrashing. Stephanie, back in her sexy clothes, is sure she's finally come up with a way to get Simon to notice her. |20 Bottled Up: Kathleen has made the "Quest for the Best" quiz show team, and she's sure that this is what will finally gain her mother's attention. But when the team comes to her house to practice, the worst happens--her mother comes into the room very drunk, as usual. Little kids Max and Scooter decide it's time to start being cool--and what better way than to imitate tough guy Rick Munro? |21 Sealed with a Kiss: Erica is tired of being a twin; she wants to grow up and be her own person, and Heather, a whole five minutes younger than she is, is so immature. But after kissing a boy she hardly knew, she gets sick. What awful disease could she have gotten from him? Heather's sick of Erica's hypochondria, and sees a way to get back at all her sister's recent nastiness. Now that Wheels is back in Zit Remedy, Snake seems to be ducking rehearsals. |22 Dog Days: When Arthur finds a lost pupy without a collar, he tries to come u with a way to make his father let him keep it. But it looks like it will be an academic question when Arthur and Stephanie's mother announces she's remarrying--and expects Arthur to come back and live with them. Stephanie's near the end of her rope--she's had enough go wrong lately without this, too. But it's Arthur who's really going to have to deal with changes. |23 Censored: A movement is afoot to have Spike, whose pregnancy is growing increasingly obvious, thrown out of Degrassi. Caitlin is horrified that people would take away Spike's rights without consulting Spike, and decides to use her position on the newspaper to champion Spike's cause. L.D. starts a campaign to stop the boys from putting pictures of bikini-clad girls in their lockers. |24 Trust Me: When Snake's parents go away for the weekend, he's thrilled to be trusted to stay alone. But Joey has other plans, which include inviting himself and Wheels to stay at Snake's, and borrowing Snake's parents' car for a little joyriding. Heather and Erica are up in arms when it looks like Spike is going to be thrown out of Degrassi after all. |25 He's Back...: Lucy's worst nightmares come true when Mr. Colby returns to substitute when Ms. Avery is sick. She tries to put him and the memory of his over-familiarity to the back of her mind, but when she sees him being extra friendly to Susie, she realizes something has to be done. Alex, school treasurer, desperately tries to think up a way to raise enough money to finish the yearbook. |26 Pass Tense: Although Wheels is working hard, he's not at all sure he's going to pass. Joey just laughs at him--but he never has to work for his marks. Spike is worried too. She's missed so much school that she might fail for the first time in her life. Meanwhile, the school is in an uproar when it turns out the school board has added a grade nine to Degrassi. It's just not fair! Season 3 |27-28 Can't Live With 'Em: Degrassi Junior High kicks off term 3 with a one-hour special. We meet all the old gang again--Joey is stuck in grade 8, Arthur's mother has won a lottery, and grade nines are finding out about high school, if only part time, and strange little kids have arrived, including Arthur's cousin. Wheels is having a tough time with his parents, but not nearly as tough a time as he's about to have without them after they are killed by a drunk driver. Spike, no longer pregnant, has new problems to deal with. |29 A Big Girl Now: Lucy is in love--or something--anyway, she's got a boyfriend, and he's in grade 11, and his friend Clutch has a car! Sure, it means she doesn't have quite as much time as she used to for her pal L.D., and Paul does have expectations of her that she's not too sure about, but she can handle it all, she's a big girl now. Snake is having trouble dealing with Wheels since his parents were killed, and Kathleen's so obnoxious about her candidacy for president that Melanie is just going to have to do something. |30 Seasons Greetings: It just doesn't feel like Christmas. For one thing, it's boiling in the cafeteria as the school's furnace goes crazy. And long-time friends Yick and Arthur find themselves in the middle of a fight. Dorothy does her best to patch it up--"It's Christmas!"--but it's only when the two boys start remembering what they've been through together, through flashbacks from episodes from Term 1 and Term 2, that there looks to be any hope. Meanwhile, Spike brings her baby, Emma, to school and Shane holds his daughter for the first time. |31 Loves Me, Loves Me Not: Caitlin knows he's not her type, but she can't help being attracted to Joey. And Joey figures he can use all the help he can get to get through grade 8 this time. So when the two are paired up to review a movie together for English class, they both figure it's a perfect match-up. Alexa tries to give Michelle some help getting to know B.L.T.--with unexpected results. And Dorothy, Arthur's really irritating cousin, has developed a crush on Yick. |32 He Ain't Heavy: When Snake's fabulous big brother Glen comes home unexpectedly from med school, Snake is thrilled. But Glen has come home to tell the family that he's gay, and Snake isn't sure he can handle it, especially as AIDS discussion in class adds fear to the emotions he feels. Joey continues his quest for fame and fortune in the music business, and lands a job at CRAZ radio--emptying wastebaskets. |33 The Whole Truth: As newspaper editor this year, Caitlin is keen to get some articles into the Digest with some real substance, and when Liz brings up the issue of animal rights, Caitlin leaps in with both feet, and makes the issue her own cause. Scooter and Bartholomew order dehydrated sea creatures from the back of a comic book, but they don't really look like the ones on the package. In fact, they look kind of like sawdust. Joey's job at CRAZ is not all he hoped it would be. |34 Star-Crossed: Erica likes Clutch (even Lucy has to agree he's cute), but he invites her twin sister Heather to the bowling tournament. No problem, that's the joy of being twins--they'll just switch. He probably can't tell them apart anyway. The only trouble is, Erica has a dentist appointment, so they'll have to make the switch in the middle of the date. Things are not working out well between Alexa and B.L.T., and she's decided she wants Simon back. |35 Food for Thought: Kathleen and Melanie, despite their falling out, are forced to work together on their Science Fair project, and Melanie figures she's going to kill Kathleen before it's over, because Kathleen is so irritable. Of course, it's because she never eats anything. Erica and Heather are working on a project on eating disorders, and one of them begins to worry about Lucy. |36 Twenty Bucks: Melanie's fondest wish comes true when Snake invites her to the Gourmet Scum concert, dutch. The only problem is, where will she get the money? Her mom won't give it to her--not voluntarily, anyway. Joey makes a bet that he can get a date for Friday night, but finds it a little harder to manage than he thought it would be--and Caitlin is not thrilled when she finds out she wasn't his first choice. The tension gets worse between Shane and Spike when she finds out that he is withholding child support to buy concert tickets. |37-38 Taking Off: Wheels is still having problems dealing with his parents' deaths. Things aren't going well at home, where his grandmother is talking about putting him in a group home. And when a postcard arrives from Wheels's birth father in Port Hope, he figures anywhere is better than here--even if it does mean hitchhiking. Shane is looking forward to the upcoming Gourmet Scum concert. It's going to be an extra special concert, too, because Luke knows where they can score some acid. |39 Making Whoopee: Arthur enjoys the bachelor life with his dad, so when his dad's girlfriend seems to be around all the time, he's not pleased. But it only gets worse--she comes to Open House, and she's not his mother. Melanie notices that Snake has another admirer: that pretty Alison. She could try to keep tabs on him by joining the Open House committee, but the only trouble is, Kathleen's on the committee too. |40 Black and White: Michelle and B.L.T. have been getting along so great, and he's even invited her to the graduation dance. Everything's fine until he walks her home one evening, and suddenly her parents aren't so happy about her date. It couldn't possibly be because he's black and she's white, could it? Spike's daycare falls through, and she has to try to find a job--not an easy task when you wear you hair like she does. |41 Pa-arty!: Lucy's parents are away again, and that can mean only one thing--party at Lucy's! This one's going to be a blast, with some of the high school kids coming, and Lucy's parents are supposed to be gone all weekend--barring disaster, of course. Joey is feeling lousy, because Caitlin won't come to the party with him. He figures to impress these high school kids and liven up the party, he'll be the supplier of the beer. The police, however, have other plans for Joey's evening. |42 Bye-Bye Junior High: It's the end of an era at Degrassi--the grade nine are going on to high school full time next year, and the grade eights will finally be kings of the school. Wheels can't see any way he'll pass this year, and Spike has some tough choices to make. It's going to be the graduation dance to end all graduation dances, but, you know, they never got that old boiler working quite right, and Scooter thinks he smells smoke... Cast ''The series was a realistic portrayal of junior high (and later high school) life; for this reason, hundreds of actors appeared on the series throughout its run, and no complete cast list can be made. This list shows the main characters.''Degrassi Junior High ran for three seasons and was followed by Degrassi High, which also for two seasons. Seasons 4 & 5 refer to Degrassi High. *Dayo Ade .... Bryant Lester "BLT" Thomas *David Armin-Parcells .... Claude Tanner (Seasons 4-5) *Sara Ballingall .... Melanie Brodie *Steve Bedernjak .... Clutch (Seasons 3-4) *Michael Blake .... Paul (Season 4) *Kirsten Bourne .... Tessa Campanelli (Seasons 3-5) *Stefan Brogren .... Archie "Snake" Simpson *Darrin Brown .... Dwayne Myers (Seasons 1, 4-5) *Michael Carry .... Simon Dexter (Seasons 2-5) *Andy Chambers .... Luke Cassellis (occasional, Seasons 3-5) *Christopher Charlesworth .... Scott "Scooter" Webster (occasional, Seasons 1-3) *Sarah Charlesworth .... Susie Rivera (Season 1) *Amanda Cook .... Lorraine "L.D." Delacorte(Seasons 1-4) *Irene Courakos .... Alexa Pappadopoulos *Trevor Cummings .... Bartholomew Bond(occasional, Seasons 3-4) *Angela Deiseach .... Erica Farrell *Maureen Deiseach .... Heather Farrell *Byrd Dickens .... Scott Smith(Season 4)(Occasional season 5) *Craig Driscoll .... Rick Munro (Season 1) *Chrissa Erodotou .... Diana Economopoulos(occasional season 2) (Season 3-5) *Marcia Ferguson .... Cindy (occasional season 2-3)(Season 5) *Michelle Goodeve .... Ms. Karen Avery (Seasons 1-3) *Anais Granofsky .... Lucy Fernandez *Rebecca Haines .... Kathleen Mead *Sarah Holmes .... Alison Hunter *Jacy Hunter .... Amy Holmes *Neil Hope .... Derek "Wheels" Wheeler *L. Dean Ifill .... Bronco Davis (occasional season 3, Season 4) *John Ioannou .... Alex Yankou (occasional seaons 1-3) (Seaons 4-5) *Michelle Johnson-Murray .... Tabi (Seasons 3-4) *Cathy Keenan .... Liz O'Rourke (occasional season 2) (Season 3-5) *Niki Kemeny .... Voula Grivogiannis (Season 1) *Kyra Levy .... Maya Goldberg(seasons 3-5) *Arlene Lott .... Nancy Kramer *Pat Mastroianni .... Joey Jeremiah *Maureen McKay .... Michelle Accette (Season 2-5) *Stacie Mistysyn .... Caitlin Ryan *Roger Montgomery ... Mr. Garcia (Season 2) *Bill Parrott .... Shane McKay (Seasons 1-3) *Siluck Saysanasy .... Yick Yu *Andreas Schilling .... Benjamin McBride (occasional season 3; Season 4) *Amanda Stepto .... Christine "Spike" Nelson *Nicole Stoffman .... Stephanie Kaye (Season 1-2) *Tyson Talbot .... Jason Cox (occasional Season 1) *Vincent Walsh .... Patrick (Season 4) *Annabelle Waugh ... Dorothy (occasional) *Duncan Waugh .... Arthur Kobalewsky (Seasons 1-2; occasional 3-4) *Keith White .... Tim O'Connor (occasional) *Dan Woods .... Dan Raditch External links *Episode Guide for Degrassi Junior High *Opening Intro * *AJ's Degrassi Universe website Category:Degrassi Category:CBC network shows Category:The N channel shows Category:1980s American television series Category:Children's television series in Canada Category:1987 television program debuts it:Degrassi Junior High sv:Degrassi Junior High